Spring 2019 Witteringthe Official Magazine for RAF Wittering and the A4 Force View
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TITLE OF ARTICLE SECTION HEADING Spring 2019 WitteringThe official magazine for RAF Wittering and the A4 Force View SPRING 2019 WITTERING VIEW 1 Features: Special Award For Wittering's STEM Team • History In The Making • Moving Scenes AT JARTS SECTION HEADING TITLE OF ARTICLE Editor Welcome to the Spring edition and my first as Editor. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to take over Foreword from Flight Lieutenant Owen Newman After a restful and unseasonably mild festive break, in overseeing the production RAF Wittering and the A4 Force were quickly back of our fantastic station magazine. The Wittering View team would like to pass on their congratulations on into the thick of operations and exercises. his promotion to Squadron Leader and wish him all the very best in his The first quarter of this year Squadrons of 501 (County of the RAF, and Warrant Officer new posting. will see large deployments to Gloucester), 504 (County of Sweeney Jarvis, also of 504 Sqn, We leave behind an Estonia in support of NATO’s Nottingham) and 605 (County was awarded the Inspector’s extraordinarily busy year for RAF Baltic air-policing mission, the of Warwick) under a single wing Shield for his outstanding Wittering, given our significant Typhoon Force’s Capability commander. This change in commitment to developing the contributions to both RAF 100 and Evaluation at RAF Leeming, command structures will align Chef trade across the RAuxAF. a busy programme of exercises Exercise RED FLAG in North the way we recruit, train and Additionally, 605 Sqn won the and operations. The New Year America and Exercise JOINT employ Part-Time Volunteer Kemp Dirk Trophy for achieving is normally a slow start as many VENTURE in Germany, that is Reserves and improve the the best recruitment and of us struggle to get back up to in addition to our continued sharing of good practice. retention figures in the RAuxAF. speed after the long break, but the presence on Operations in That is not to say that With three out of six RAuxAF station is a hive of activity, with the Middle East, Afghanistan, our RAuxAF squadrons are trophies won by our Squadrons reconfigurations in our Wings, new Central Africa and the not performing, indeed the we have every reason to be command and control structures Falkland Islands. RAF Wittering opposite is true. RAF Wittering’s proud of the achievements of for our Reserves, and evidence from genuinely has an enduring 504 Sqn has been awarded the our Reserves colleagues. 16 Squadron that we are a station global presence. RAuxAF Inspector’s Trophy for that reaches for the stars (see story It has also been a their sustained contribution to Gp Capt Tony Keeling on page 8)! challenging time for our Our Science Technology resident flying squadrons, Engineering and Maths (STEM) working hard to keep pace Team continue to inspire and with the demands to provide encourage young people into STEM elementary flying training subjects and enthuse the next to our young officers, and generation of engineers (page 6), air experience flights to Air while the spotlight on the Heritage Cadets and members of the Centre reminds us of the legacy University Air Squadrons. While of those who have gone before us our friends from Amey work (page 14). hard to keep the Station roads Community wise, there is free from snow and ice, we are a poignant reminder from the not scaled for a similar service RAF Benevolent Fund that our on our airfield. This lack of communities can face relationship ‘Blacktop’ provision means difficulties, loneliness, downturns that the airfield is frequently in mental health and social unable to open during periods isolation in response to leading a of winter weather, adding military lifestyle. Their multi-million pressure to an already busy pound programme to respond flying programme. to our key needs is a welcome The new year also marked investment. Read about it on page the formation of Reserve 20. In addition, our Community Logistics Support Wing, which Development Officer, Mark Davis, brings together the Royal and his team have secured a Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) significant amount of capital from the Fund to redesign and develop three of the Station’s playparks (page 22). Having read Warrant Officer Aitken’s article on page 21, I would encourage those with time Submissions to spare to consider becoming an RAF Association Befriender to Please direct all submissions for Wittering View Magazine to: maintain vital lifelines for ex-RAF The Editor, [email protected] personnel. [email protected] Flt Lt Madi Timlin Please try to ensure that images are in .jpeg format and as large as possible. Text should be supplied in Microsoft Word Find us on Facebook .doc format or plain text if possible. at Wittering View 4 WITTERING VIEW SPRING 2019 TITLE OF ARTICLE SECTION HEADING Wittering View The official magazine for RAF Wittering and the A4 Force 12 14 19 Contents Special Award for Wittering's STEM Team 06 News In Brief 08 Padre’s Corner 11 3 Mobile Catering Sqn 12 Exercise SAIF SAREEA III 13 History in the Making 14 Centennial Anniversary of the Armistice 17 New Arrivals at RAF Wittering 19 Moving Scenes at JARTS 19 Helping hand for Military Family 20 RAF Association Befriender 21 Community News 22 Tea Break Time 24 Military Wives Choir 25 Recipe 26 06 In The Hot Seat 26 Editor Distribution Designed By Flt Lt Madi Timlin Morrisons Stamford, Sainsbury's Stamford, Families' Sherrie Bacarese [email protected] Shop Wittering, Walkers of Stamford, Stamford coffee shops, Phoenix Shop Wittering, Wittering Advertising Deputy Editor local businesses and amenities. Lance Print Ltd, 1st Floor, Tailby House, Emma Stacey Bath Road, Kettering, Northants, NN16 8NL Published By Tel: Jo on 01536 334221 Team Lance Print Ltd, 1st Floor, Tailby House, [email protected] Marissa Russell, Cpl Paul Robertshaw, Ed Palmer Bath Road, Kettering, Northants, NN16 8NL and SAC Matty Smith. Tel: 01536 334222 Printing www.lanceprint.co.uk Lance Print Ltd, Email: [email protected] Tel: 01733 390564 SPRING 2019 WITTERING VIEW 5 FEATURE STEM TEAM Special Award For Wittering’s STEM Team Royal Air Force Wittering’s STEM Team has won the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Inspiring Engineering Award for 2018. Science Technology Engineering Officer at RAF Wittering, but served & Maths (STEM) subjects are a as a logistics officer for more than 38 real priority for government and years before retiring. He said: “The businesses in the UK. All three team have given their professional Armed Forces have dedicated STEM expertise and their own time to teams, encouraging young people ensure that STEM at Wittering to consider STEM at school and is a big success. We ran our first choose a related career. event in 2015 and it’s been a huge The award was presented by success ever since. I am proud to Air Vice Marshal Sue Gray, former still be a member of this amazingly Air Officer Commanding 38 dedicated team and to have Group. Over 80 percent of jobs in received this award.” the Royal Air Force require some Race for the Line (RFTL) brought level of STEM education and, like The RAF Wittering STEM Team. hundreds of Year Seven students to so many organisations in the UK, RAF Wittering for the regional and the RAF needs to recruit a steady national finals of the competition. stream of qualified school leavers engineer and STEM Ambassador, hands-on experience of aircraft Teams from schools across the and graduates. said: “The work of RAF Wittering’s engineering. country designed, built and raced The IET Inspiring Engineering STEM team during RAF100 In April 2018, 100 young miniature rocket powered dragsters. Award is given to the team has been exceptional. Their people from the Air Cadets and Group Captain Keeling that has made an outstanding commitment, energy and initiative uniformed youth organisations concluded: “This is a fantastic contribution to encouraging in delivering events that have real came to Wittering and experienced achievement and well-earned young people into STEM engagement and educational engineering and logistics for recognition for the considerable subjects and enthusing the next value has been superb.” themselves. The five-day residential contribution made by STEM generation of engineers. 2018 The biggest STEM event in course was based around a Ambassadors at RAF Wittering. Our was a busy year for RAF Wittering’s 2018 was the Big Bang Fair at the hypothetical humanitarian relief STEM team is drawn from across STEM team, which delivered a NEC in Birmingham. As it was a operation and demonstrated the branches and trades, but they series of imaginative and high- centenary year, the RAF had the how science is key to logistics and all understand the importance of quality youth engagement events. biggest stand and engineers engineering. getting young minds tuned into Station Commander Group from Wittering were on hand to Warrant Officer Steve Poulton Science, Technology, Engineering Captain Tony Keeling, who is an give thousands of young people is the Youth Engagement Warrant and Maths.” Young people at the Big Bang Fair given some hands-on experience of engineering. 6 WITTERING VIEW SPRING 2019 SPRING 2019 WITTERING VIEW 7 NEWS IN BRIEF News In Brief 16 Sqn To Infinity And Beyond The maximum operating altitude of a Grob Tutor is 10,000 feet. In December 2018, 16 Squadron were presented with a Crest Badge that has flown almost 100 times higher than its fleet of training aircraft. The badge and a NASA mission patch were presented to Officer Commanding 16 Squadron, Squadron Leader Mark Pickles by Group Captain From Kasper to Cedric Tony Keeling, Station Commander Royal Air Force Wittering (pictured left and RAF monuments and events were the below).